Missouri Advocates For Families Affected by Autism

We are a citizens action group advocating and lobbying for families that have a child with special needs. We believe that EVERY child has a right to a FREE and APPROPRIATE EDUCATION and should NEVER BE LEFT BEHIND.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Is there the parent of an autistic child who wouldn't be delighted beyond words if the child would simply blend smoothly into a regular classroom? That is a dream we all share. For a few, the dream becomes a reality. Over the years I have heard from a number of parents who have shared with us their joy, their pride and their good fortune: "Billy has been included in a regular classroom! He is having a hard time adjusting, but he is making it!" But, for every parent whose child "makes it," there are many more who are not so fortunate.

Much as my wife and I would like to have our autistic son Mark be able to cope successfully in a normal school, it is very clear to us that he could not have done so. He has come along much farther than we ever dared hope, and we are quite confident it is because he was always in special classes, taught by experienced, skilled, caring teachers, exhibiting monumental patience, who had gone to great lengths to train themselves in methods which would help Mark and children like him achieve their full potential.

If a child can be effectively "included," he probably should be. Lovaas got excellent results by mainstreaming the most successful of his early intervention group, but only after intensive training. But there is a difference between inclusion and over inclusion.

If your child functions far below the normal child intellectually, academically, and socially, does it make sense to insist that he or she be "included" in a regular classroom? Certainly not, in my view, and in the view of many, if not the vast majority, of parents of autistic children.

Today special schools and special classes for autistic children are under heavy attack by people promoting "full inclusion." What is full inclusion? Full inclusion means abolishing the special educational provisions that are vitally important to autistic children.

Unfortunately, many professionals and parents have adopted the ideology that full inclusion is the only option that should be made available for any child, irrespective of how inappropriate it may be for that child, and irrespective of the wishes of the parents of that child. What is worse, these people have managed to sway legislative and educational policy so that other options are prohibited. A quarter of a century ago those of us who pioneered public education for autistic children struggled long and hard to compel the educational system to provide things that we knew were necessary to the appropriate education of our children. This included, first and foremost, teachers who were trained in the techniques of behavior modification and who understood the peculiarities of autistic children.

In the last issue of the ARRI we published a small article titled "Full inclusion: the right choice?" Our article was based on a report by Simpson and Sasso in which they noted that there was no empirical evidence showing that full inclusion was beneficial. It seems that the full inclusion movement has been so quickly bought by the educational establishment that those who believe that a full range of options should be available have not had time to organize any meaningful opposition. We received many letters and calls of thanks from parents who were pleased to see that were addressing this issue.

Several years ago I received an urgent plea for help from a group of parents in Michigan whose children attended the Burger Center for Autistic Children. I was invited to speak there and made a tour of the facility. I was impressed. The staff were obviously very much involved with autism, the teaching of autistic children and all the details of autism. They communicated with each other with ideas and suggestions and enthusiasm that won my admiration. They certainly had the support of the parent group. The problem was that full inclusion was being heavily promoted in Michigan, and rational and efficient programs like the Burger School program for autism were in dire threat of being closed down.

I have no quarrel with inclusionists if they are content to insist upon inclusion for their children, or for children of other parents who feel that it is optimum for their children. But, when they try to force me and other unwilling parents to dance to their tune, I find it highly objectionable and quite intolerable. Parents need options.

If there are no objective data showing that full inclusion works better than giving people several options, why is it being promoted so avidly? Douglas Billen attempts to answer that question solely on ideological grounds. In his book, Achieving the Complete School, he says of mainstreaming, "To ask, Does it work? is to ask the wrong question." He believes that full inclusion and mainstreaming should be the only choice available to us because it is the right choice, the right thing to do. He makes an analogy with slavery. Slavery, he says, was abolished because it was morally wrong, not because it didn't work. He also asserts that objective scientific data are irrelevant, because the issue is a moral one.

I disagree strongly with Biklen on both counts. Biklen has the slavery analogy exactly backward: making full inclusion the only option does not resemble the abolition of slavery, but instead the imposition of slavery. Like slavery, full inclusion rejects the idea that people should be free to choose for themselves the options they desire, and compels them to accede to the wishes of others. And as for Biklen's rejection of scientific data, I want my children educated in ways that will assure the best outcome, as learned from scientific studies, not in ways that accord with someone's theory, or ideology, or the educational fad of the year.

Special education consultant Laurence Lieberman is one of the very few educators with the courage to speak out and tell the wrong. Recently the National Association of State Boards of Education endorsed the principle of full inclusion of students with disabilities. Lieberman's insightful response, published as a letter to the editor in EducationWeek for December 16, 1992, is a classic, and is reprinted here in part:

"People involved in education cannot agree on school choice, on promotion policies, on achievement testing, on curricula, teaching approaches, or the distribution of condoms. But all the state boards of education can agree on full inclusion for all disabled students?

"This is obviously a money issue, pure and simple. The key may be found in the paragraph in your story that says a new report from NASBE proposes that funds be provided on the basis of instructional need, not head counts. That need seems to have been already predetermined by the organization; full inclusion in regular classrooms for all disabled students.

"The article-and quite possibly the report-refuses to deal with the real nature of some children, which might require that they not be in a regular classroom.

"Some educators would place the issue of full inclusion solely in the realm of morality. Anything separate is evil. There may be a higher immorality than separateness: lack of progress, lack of achievement, lack of skills, and splintered learning of meaningless academic trivia.

"There is the issue that special education hasn't been effective. Where, and for whom and why? Because it has been too separate? Unlikely. There regular classroom is not separate by definition. Has it worked? Sometimes, but not all of the time. Placing severely disabled students in regular classrooms presupposes a level of individualization that does not exist.

"Some educators believe that disabled children will be much more accepted, and society as a whole will show much greater compassion for the disabled, if all children are in regular classrooms. Knowledge does not necessarily lead to compassion.

"There is a common belief that when disabled children are in physical proximity to normal children they will tend to adopt more normal behavior patterns. This is obviously not the case with many autistic children, who generally begin life surrounded by normal families.

"Full inclusion is not the right thing to do. It is one right thing to do, sometimes.

"Any organization...that endorses full inclusion is taking an extremist position that has no place in an educational system and a society that prides itself on its choices and multiple ways to achieve a desired quality of life." I agree with Lieberman. If special education for autism is destroyed, it will be lost for at least one generation, and perhaps several.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

The Lee's Summit School District has been investigated by the OCR for civil rights violations. They were forced to enter into a resolution agreement. Not too many of their residents are aware of the issues that this district is really facing. Stay tuned for more.

It is essential that all children are safe from every kind of bullying and school remains a place to learn and not a place to fear.

Did you know that the Kansas now has an Anti-Bullying Law that not only protects students from bullying by students, but also by teachers and other school staff?

We need a similar law in Missouri. The children of Missouri need the same protection as children in other states. Children’s lives are being destroyed every day. We cannot keep them safe without legislation. That has proven to be the case over and over again.

Teacher bullying gets little attention, say Stuart Twemlow, MD, a psychiatrist who directs the Peaceful Schools and Communities Project at the Menninger Clinic in Houston. But his new study, published in The International Journal of Social Psychiatry, hints that the problem may be more common than people believe.

In his anonymous survey of 116 teachers at seven elementary schools, more than 70% said they believed that bullying was isolated. But 45% admitted to having bullied a student. "I was surprised at how many teachers were willing to be honest," Twemlow says.

He defines teacher bullying as "using power to punish, manipulate, or disparage a student beyond what would be a reasonable disciplinary procedure."

While it is well-known that bullying by peers is commonplace, bullying by teachers can be even more harmful to children and represents an abuse of power. Studies show that bullying perpetrated by an adult, such as a teacher, can be even more harmful than bullying by a peer, quadrupling the child’s odds of suicidal thinking.

The bullying by a teacher effectively produces a hostile climate for the student that is indefensible on academic grounds; undermining learning and the ability of a student to fulfill academic requirements. It shares at its core the same attributes of other abuses of power such as sexual harassment or hate crimes. A hate crime is simply bullying by target selection based on characteristics of race, sexual orientation or religious beliefs

This is an outstanding program and Lee's Summit should be pleased with their success. However, they only put this much effort into programs that make them look good. I wish that they had put this much time, money, and effort into my son's education. He might have been a high school graduate instead of a high school dropout. Lee's Summit will never put money or effort into those that will not make them look good. Sad, but true.

LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo. – President Barack Obama will speak at the University of Central Missouri Wednesday to talk about the economy.

As part of his remarks, the White House said Obama will talk about the Lee’s Summit’s School District’s accelerated engineering program.

The program accepts juniors and seniors from 19 Missouri high schools and allows them to earn a bachelor’s degree in just two years after they graduate from high school.

Seventeen-year-old Matt Orson says the program allows him to get hands on experience by working with partnering companies to hone his skills before he gets out in the real world.

“I’m super, super happy that something like this could happen to me, not many people get this opportunity to get their college paid for and to get hands on experience with a job,” said Orson.
Dr Don Andrews, Assistant Superintendent for the Lee’s Summit School District, says there is no other program like it in the country.

While the 32 students enrolled in the program are getting a once in a lifetime opportunity to earn and four-year degree for free, they’re in for a another awesome experience because they’ll meet President Barack Obama when he speaks at the University of Central Missouri Wednesday.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Recently there’s been a trend that includes rappers saying something
offensive, only to be attacked for it in the media and pressured to
apologize. I have to be completely honest and say there’s a part of me
that resents that. I view rap similar to how I view comedy. It’s going
to ruffle feathers at times. It’s going to go “too far”. I do not
believe that an apology is needed every time someone is offended,
especially when that apology is really only for the sake of saving an
endorsement or cleaning up bad press.

With that said, this is not the case today. This letter is sincere.
This apology IS necessary.

In a recent verse on the song “Jodeci Freestyle”, I said something
highly offensive to people with Autism. Last week, when I first saw a
comment from someone outraged about the lyric, I realized right away
that what I said was wrong. I was instantly embarrassed that I would
be ignorant enough say something so hurtful. What makes the crime
worse is that I should have known better.

To the entire Autism community who expressed outrage, I’m moved and
inspired by your passion, and I’m amazed at how strong you are as a
unit. I have now read stories online from parents about their
struggles and triumphs with raising an Autistic child and I admire how
incredibly strong you have to be to do so. It’s touching. It also
makes what I said even more embarrassing for me. I feel real shame.
You have every right to be angry.

To anyone suffering from Autism, either mildly or severely, I am
sorry. I’m bound to make mistakes in my life, but in my heart I just
want to spread Love.

I want to educate myself more on Autism, and I’ll gladly own my
mistake and serve as an example to today’s generation that there’s
nothing cool about mean-spirited comments about someone with Autism.
People with this disorder and their loved ones have to go through so
much already, the last thing they need is to hear something as
ignorant as what I said. I understand.

To the parents who are fighting through the frustrations that must
come with raising a child with severe autism, finding strength and
patience that they never knew they had; to the college student with
Asperger’s Syndrome; to all those overcoming Autism. You deserve
medals, not disrespect. I hope you accept my sincere apology.

TAMPA — For three hours Kate Grantham faced a panel of school officials to hash out a plan for her daughter's education.
About half that time, the two sides discussed how much physical therapy the school would give Sarah, who has a condition that resembles cerebral palsy.
"I tried to use all the sales words I've learned along the way," Grantham said. "Like, if this were your child, would you be satisfied with 30 minutes? I was getting very irritated."

It is a task parents of special needs children sometimes dread: the summit to discuss a student's "individual education plan."
Held annually, or sometimes more frequently, the meetings result in a legal document, called an IEP, that outlines a child's learning goals and what educators will do to help meet them.
They can be daunting, confrontational affairs, as educators and parents often disagree on a course that works best for both the district and the child.
A new Florida law aims to give parents a leg up by helping them better understand their rights and limiting what districts can mandate without their consent. It affects roughly 350,000 students statewide, including more than 50,000 in Tampa Bay.
The measure was introduced by Republican state Sens. Andy Gardiner of Orlando and John Thrasher of St. Augustine. Both have relatives with Down syndrome — Gardiner a son and Thrasher a grandson.
It requires signed documents attesting that no one discouraged a parent from bringing an advocate or other adult witness to an IEP meeting.
It mandates parents give their consent before the district can place a student on a special education diploma track — something that happens as early as elementary school — or moves a child from a typical school to a special center.
Districts must disclose how much state funding they are getting for a child's services. And there is a mandatory 10-day notice to schedule the meetings, addressing the complaint that parents sometimes are called in at the last minute.
In addition to IEPs, the law applies to documents such as the 504 plan, which provides accommodations under the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
Especially significant, said Tallahassee attorney and advocate Ann Siegel: "We finally have a definition for inclusion."
The new law defines inclusion as an education in a regular class "reflecting natural proportions and age-appropriate heterogeneous groups" in core academic classes and electives.
What's more, it says, "a student with a disability is a valued member of the classroom and school community," and teachers and administrators must be equipped to teach all children.
To some degree, advocates say, the new measure clarifies provisions that already exist under federal law, which entitles disabled children to a "free appropriate public education" in the "least restrictive environment."
In reality, however, parents often feel overmatched at IEP meetings, especially if the child's issues require a large number of therapists and administrators around the table.
When told that funding limits make it impossible to provide all kinds of services at a neighborhood school, some parents agree to send their kids to centers instead.
"They try to make you feel like, 'We're all in it for the best interest of the child,' but there's always that feeling that it's you against them," said Grantham, whose daughter, now 6, recently was placed in a special center.
Roberta Moore of Tampa told the Hillsborough County School Board she agreed to put her child on a special diploma track so his FCAT scores would not hurt the school grade.
"There's a complete intimidation factor," said Scott Tobia of Apollo Beach, whose daughter has medical needs and motor deficiencies stemming from a mitochondrial disorder that affects her metabolism.
Tobia has waged several battles with the Hillsborough district since Laura, now 7, entered kindergarten.
"You have 10 different people around the table," he said. "If you take an advocate, they bring an attorney."
Opinions differ as to whether the new law will create slightly more paperwork or truly change the tenor of meetings.
Hillsborough special education advocate Claudia Roberts said she is encouraged by a provision that requires districts to assess every three years how well they are practicing inclusion.
Those assessments will provide important data, Roberts said, and "data that is measured and reported can be a very valuable tool in making changes to the way students are being educated."
In Pasco County, ESE director Melissa Musselwhite said her district already collaborates with the Florida Inclusion Network. Pasco allows parents to bring advocates and observers to IEP meetings and make audio recordings. "A lot of this will require us to make adjustments, but a lot of it also is work we already do," she said.
The most dramatic change, she said, will come from the requirement that the district allow private therapists to work with children in the schools.
But she said that's mostly a logistical issue, as school officials will need to make sure there is not too great a disruption to instruction.
Also unclear is how the state will reconcile testing provisions in the law with a federal mandate that all children, regardless of disabilities, take standardized tests for purposes of school accountability.Marlene Sokol can be reached at (813) 226-3356 or sokol@tampabay.com

The wording is buried deep in the Christie administration's latest regulatory changes for public schools, a notation calling for removal of a single sentence from current regulations referring to certain required services and "corrective actions."

But the words in question have to do with anti-bullying measures and the responsibilities school districts have to address the problem. Needless to say, the change has touched off a bit of a tempest. Three of the main sponsors of the state's Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights (ABR) - two Democrats and a Republican - last week wrote to state Education Commissioner Chris Cerf objecting to the change, saying it would all but gut the spirit of the historic law. Enacted in 2011, the anti-bullying measure put in place strict procedures and requirements for schools to combat harassment, intimidation, and bullying (HIB). "While we appreciate the department's effort to reduce 'red tape' and increase flexibility, removing a school district's minimum response from the administrative code would decrease protections currently afforded students," read the letter signed by Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D., Bergen) and Sens. Diane Allen (R., Burlington) and Barbara Buono (D., Middlesex), the gubernatorial candidate. "We sponsored the ABR to increase, not decrease, protections and assistance for all students affected by HIB," the letter to Cerf continued. "Implementing the proposed change would set New Jersey back in combating HIB, an effort for which you have shown great support." The sponsors also asked Cerf to postpone any other changes to code related to anti-bullying efforts until a state task force reviewing the law's implementation could make its own recommendations. The language proposed for deletion is included in an expansive proposal to ease requirements for schools in dealing with student support and other mostly noninstructional services. In the section about anti-bullying efforts, the current code speaks to the programs and services that districts must offer in response to bullying incidents, both to the individual victims and to address any larger "systemic problems." On Page 184 of the 208-page document, the language reads: "The response at a minimum shall include support for victims of harassment, intimidation or bullying, and corrective actions of documented systemic problems related to harassment, intimidation and bullying." In the department's written introduction to the code changes, submitted to the state Board of Education, it says that language was to be removed because the new law does not set such minimum requirements for "support of victims" or "corrective actions for systemic problems." On Thursday, Cerf downplayed any disagreement, saying he would meet with the legislators to hear their objections. "We take these concerns seriously," Cerf said. "Our only intention is to fully and faithfully implement the intent of the law." The legislators' letter called the department's written reasoning "grossly inconsistent with both the intent and the language of the law." They have found some vocal supporters, including Garden State Equality, the gay-rights organization that proved to be a powerful player in the final crafting and passage of the law. Shannon Cuttle, managing director of the organization's anti-bullying programs, said Thursday that the language at issue was critical in requiring districts to set up frameworks for dealing with bullying both individually and throughout a school. "Those frameworks can only be achieved if that language stays in place in requiring districts create an inclusive and safe school environment," Cuttle said. Luanne Peterpaul, a member of the organization's board of governors who worked on the bill, said she was curious about why that specific language would be singled out. "It underscores what is the whole spirit of the law, the climate and culture of the school," she said. The debate comes as the law moves into its third full school year, with schools beginning to settle in how to comply with its requirements. The first year was tumultuous, with a rapid rise in reported incidents - more than 35,000 statewide. Figures are not yet available for the past year, but school officials continued to cite worries and confusion over definitions in the law and their own capacity to respond to and investigate each reported incident. To help districts, the state Legislature this year added $1 million to the state budget for fiscal 2014, the first time a specific line item related to the anti-bullying law was included in the budget. An appropriation of $1 million was made last year, but it was separate from the budget and was made only in response to a ruling that the state needed to provide at least some funding for the new mandate. The use of the fiscal 2014 money has yet to be determined, but Cerf said it was likely it would be made available to districts in grants, like the original $1 million. Garden State Equality representatives testified before the Legislature asking for additional funding to school districts, and Cuttle said the $1 million was a start. "We'd like to see that increase, but we are very pleased that it now has a line item in the budget," Cuttle said.

People with milder forms of autism struggle as adults

Blurred boundaries: Social skills have a greater impact on quality of life for people on the autism spectrum than do any specific diagnoses.

Contrary to popular assumption, people diagnosed with so-called mild forms of autism don’t fare any better in life than those with severe forms of the disorder. That’s the conclusion of a new study that suggests that even individuals with normal intelligence and language abilities struggle to fit into society because of their social and communication problems.
In fact, people diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) are no more likely to marry or have a job than those with more disabling forms of autism, according to a Norwegian study published online in June in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders1.
Early intervention has the potential to alter this trajectory, say experts. But until today’s children with autism reach maturity, it will be hard to say how much behavioral intervention at a young age can alter the course of their lives.
“The implication of our findings is that the consequences of having an autism spectrum disorder with profound difficulties in communication skills and social impairment can’t be compensated for by either high intellectual level or normal language function,” says lead investigator Anne Myhre, associate professor of mental health and addiction at the University of Oslo in Norway.
These findings provide support for the proposed merging of pervasive developmental disorder into the autism spectrum in the DSM-5, the edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) set to be published in 2013, the researchers say.
The new edition of the manual takes a spectrum approach, absorbing the separate categories of childhood disintegrative disorder, Asperger syndrome and PDD-NOS into the broad category of autism spectrum disorder. The draft guidelines note that symptoms must appear in early childhood and affect everyday functioning.
“I’m glad that the authors see this as support for the DSM-5 proposed definitions,” says Sally Rogers, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of California, Davis’ MIND Institute. Rogers is a member of the neurodevelopmental working group revising the diagnostic criteria for autism.

Single and disabled:

Myhre’s team investigated marital status, mortality and criminal records, and disability pension awards for 113 individuals who would meet contemporary criteria for autism. Of that number, 39 fall into the PDD-NOS category. More than half the participants — including 23 of the 39 with PDD-NOS — have an intelligence quotient (IQ) of 70 or less.
All were treated in the children’s unit at the National Centre for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in Oslo, Norway, between 1968 and 1988. The researchers tracked these participants using government-issued identification numbers.
They found that by age 22, 96 percent of the group had been awarded a disability pension from the government. Nearly all were unmarried — 99 percent of those with autistic disorder, compared with 92 percent of those with PDD-NOS. The crime rate for the group as a whole was little more than half that of the general population, although more individuals with PDD-NOS than autism had been convicted of a crime.
The study’s comparatively bleak findings are a surprise, say experts.
“The PDD-NOS group is generally better functioning, at least in childhood, so we would expect them to do better as adults,” says Sigmund Eldevik, associate professor of behavioral science at the Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, who was not involved with the study.
In July, Eldevik reported that young children with autism who receive behavioral interventions in preschool have higher IQs and adaptive behavior scores than those who do not receive the intervention2.
However, the individuals in Myhre’s study grew up during a time when autism was typically diagnosed later in childhood, and there were few early intervention programs.
For example, autism was not classified as separate from schizophrenia until the release of the third edition of the DSM in 1980. And Asperger syndrome and PDD-NOS were not included until the DSM-IV’s release in 1994.
To address the diagnostic changes, the researchers used detailed descriptions of symptoms, psychological test results, school performance and other records to retroactively diagnose autism or PDD-NOS in the study participants according to DSM-IV criteria.
Eldevik says the changes in DSM subcategories would probably not affect the study’s findings, however, as clinicians in Norway generally use the International Classification of Diseases (ICD).
“The PDD-NOS diagnosis from DSM-IV is very similar to the ‘Atypical Autism’ diagnosis from ICD-10, which we are using in Norway,” he says.
What’s more, other studies of individuals with PDD-NOS have turned up similar results. A 2009 European study reported that few individuals with PDD-NOS, autism or Asperger syndrome live independently3. That study found that antisocial personality disorder and substance abuse are more common in the PDD-NOS group, together with the mood and anxiety disorders shared by all the subgroups. Although all 122 people in the study have normal IQs, only 40 percent were employed at the time of the study, and 84 percent had never been in a long-term relationship.

Limited opportunities:

Relatively few long-term studies report on individuals with PDD-NOS but, in general, research on social and employment prospects for people on the autism spectrum are not encouraging.
For example, a study published earlier this year found that in the U.S., young adults on the spectrum who do not have an intellectual disability are in some ways worse off than those who do, as there are fewer programs to support their needs. They are at least three times more likely to have no structured daytime activities, for example4. Another study by some of the same researchers showed that 70 adults with Down syndrome enjoy higher levels of independence, more social opportunities and receive more services compared with 70 adults who have autism5.
This picture of limited opportunity for social engagement and growing isolation in adulthood for those on the spectrum is replicated by a study in April, which showed that more than half of young adults with autism had not gotten together with friends in the previous year6. Another study in Februaryfound that close to 40 percent of young adults with autism in the U.S. receive no services whatsoever after high school graduation.
In Norway, people on the spectrum are eligible for a government disability pension at age 18. Although only 5 percent of the Norwegian population as a whole receives this pension, 89 percent of individuals with autism in the new study receive it, as do 72 percent of the PDD-NOS group.
The higher level of intellectual disability in the autism group may explain the lower levels of disability awards in the PDD-NOS group, says Rogers. “This suggests that interventions that increase intellectual abilities will lead to better outcomes,” she says. Although most studies suggest that those with higher IQs don’t necessarily fare better in life, those individuals did not benefit from the kind of targeted early interventions now available, which address both intellectual and social functioning, she says.
High-quality early intervention is the only treatment that has shown improvement in intellectual functioning in people with the disorder, Rogers says. As more individuals with the disorder are diagnosed and receive treatment early on, future generations may face better outcomes.
Early intervention is already leading to markedly better intellectual functioning in children with autism, says Amy Wetherby, professor of communication science and disorders at Florida State University.
“The whole landscape of autism is changing because we are better at identifying the cognitively higher-functioning individuals,” she says. “With good early intervention, most end up within normal limits [on intelligence tests].”

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

It is essential that all children are safe from every kind of bullying and school remains a place to learn and not a place to fear.

Did you know that the Kansas now has an Anti-Bullying Law that not only protects students from bullying by students, but also by teachers and other school staff?

We need a similar law in Missouri.The children of Missouri need the same protection as children in other states.Children’s lives are being destroyed every day.We cannot keep them safe without legislation.That has proven to be the case over and over again.

Teacher bullying gets little attention, say Stuart Twemlow, MD, a psychiatrist who directs the Peaceful Schools and Communities Project at the Menninger Clinic in Houston. But his new study, published in The International Journal of Social Psychiatry, hints that the problem may be more common than people believe.

In his anonymous survey of 116 teachers at seven elementary schools, more than 70% said they believed that bullying was isolated. But 45% admitted to having bullied a student. "I was surprised at how many teachers were willing to be honest," Twemlow says.

He defines teacher bullying as "using power to punish, manipulate, or disparage a student beyond what would be a reasonable disciplinary procedure."

While it is well-known that bullying by peers is commonplace, bullying by teachers can be even more harmful to children and represents an abuse of power. Studies show that bullying perpetrated by an adult, such as a teacher, can be even more harmful than bullying by a peer, quadrupling the child’s odds of suicidal thinking.

The bullying by a teacher effectively produces a hostile climate for the student that is indefensible on academic grounds; undermining learning and the ability of a student to fulfll academic requirements. It shares at its core the same attributes of other abuses of power such as sexual harassment or hate crimes. A hate crime is simply bullying by target selection based on characteristics of race, sexual orientation or religious beliefs

Thursday, July 11, 2013

MENIFEE, Calif. - The 16-year-old brother of an 11-year-old autistic boy who disappeared over the weekend from his Southern California home was arrested Wednesday on a murder charge, police said.
During a news conference Wednesday, Capt. John Hill said the body of a boy who fits the description of 11-year-old Terry Smith was found overnight in a "shallow grave containing partially exposed human remains."
Investigators were still working to confirm the identity of the remains found Wednesday afternoon.
John Hall, a spokesman the Riverside County District Attorney has not returned phone or email messages from The (Palm Springs, Calif.) Desert Sun.
The teen, whose name was not released, was the last one to see Terry near his Menifee, Calif., home Saturday, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department previously said.
"The brother was walking away from their residence, turns back, sees that Terry's following him and tells Terry, 'Hey, go home,'" Deputy Albert Martinez told The Desert Sun this week.
The half-bother - who has the same mom as Terry - has been "questioned several times by investigators," Martinez said Tuesday afternoon.
"He's been cooperative throughout the whole time," the deputy said.
Earlier Wednesday, investigators halted their search and returned to Terry's home to search for human remains at about 1:30 a.m.
It was the fourth day of a widespread search for the boy, who was identified by police as an autistic boy who was last seen Saturday.
Investigators found "possible human remains" in the dirt not far from the house, and a search warrant was issued at the house late Wednesday morning, said Sgt. Lisa McConnell.
Investigators initially said that Terry "was discovered missing from his residence" sometime between 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 10:30 a.m. Sunday.
Terry lived on a short stretch of road in a rural area of Menifee, a city of about 80,000 in southwestern Riverside County, Calif., that is about 80 miles southeast of Los Angeles.
They were "able to verify" Monday that Terry was last seen between 7:30 and 9 p.m. Saturday outside his home, McConnell said.
As the search went on and temperatures peaked above 100 degrees each day, more than 1,000 law enforcement, search and rescue personnel and volunteers flooded into the city to help search.
Searchers canvassed by ATV, bicycle and foot and distributed thousands of fliers. Coordinators set up a Find Terry Smith page on Facebook that garnered more than 25,000 fans.
The volunteer coordinators initially held out hope they would find Terry but announced they called off the search and would now enter a "time of grieving."
"We want to thank everyone who is following our efforts here and for the thousands of volunteers and businesses that have helped this incredible search effort," the page administrator posted Wednesday.
"PLEASE REMEMBER that our focus has always been on Terry Smith, an 11 year old boy. Our focus is still on that boy and the memory."

Two DeKalb County educators are facing possible criminal charges after allegations of child abuse inside a special-needs classroom.

The family of Wesley Malone, a 14-year-old autistic student, said they questioned his teachers after noticing behavioral changes, including aggressiveness, as well as scratches and bumps on his face and head.

The family said the school brought in a specialist to observe Wesley’s classroom who witnessed the use of a thick broomstick handle to scare and discipline the teen.

“It hurts me. It tears me apart,” father John Malone said.

The family’s lawyer gave the report of the incident to Channel 2’s Tony Thomas. In it, the specialist outlines seeing Wesley, who cannot talk, disobey in class, and then the classroom paraprofessional lashing out.

“She’s slapping the broomstick on the table, she’s slapping it on the floor, she’s slapping it at him, she’s poking it at him,” attorney Chris Vance said.

According to the report, Wesley yelped and covered his head. According to the specialist’s report, the paraprofessional said, “This is what we have to do. We have to instill fear in him.”

“If they had the audacity to use a broom handle in front of a third party, what are they doing when someone isn’t there?” Malone said.

A DeKalb County Schools spokesperson said the paraprofessional involved resigned last week and the district is firing the teacher.

The District Attorney’s Office confirmed it was sent the case on Thursday.

Malone said he wishes his son could have told him earlier.

The Malone family and their lawyer are questioning why it took nearly a month for the district to act. They also do not believe school leaders reported the issue to state authorities properly.

“We take this issue very seriously. We care deeply for the safety and well-being of our children, and any action that might compromise them will absolutely not be tolerated,” a school district spokesperson said.

Learning Disabilities Assessment and Testing

Learn about the assessment and testing process used to diagnose learning disabilities. Learn how tests and assessments are used in schools to identify learning disabilities and develop programs. Assessment and testing to diagnose learning disabilities is a complex process. Learn what you need to know about assessment and testing for learning disabilities and special education programs.

Missouri Families: I am preparing a petition for a bill similar to that in Kansas. I want Missouri children to be protected from bullying by their teachers. It happens far too often and it needs to stop. I need help from Missouri families. I need to get as many signatures as possible. We can't let this opportunity slip by. Missouri children deserve to be protected, too. "Studies show that bullying perpetrated by an adult, such as a teacher, can be even more harmful than bullying by a peer, quadrupling the child’s odds of suicidal thinking."

Keep a journal. Document all informal communication with your school system about accommodations for your ADHD child, including detailed notes of IEP meetings and phone calls. Make copies. Use separate binders to store copies of daily notes written to and sent from any teacher, as well as for all classwork, homework, and tests that are sent home, especially anything you had to sign and return. Make weekly copies of your child's daily planner or communication notebook. Follow up in writing.Requests for ADHD school accommodations should be sent in formal, signed letters or e-mails. Follow up every phone call and meeting with a written narrative. Document exactly what was said, by whom, and when regarding your child's IEP and/or 504 Plan. Be professional. Be courteous and businesslike when writing to a professional at school. Think through what you want to say. Stick to the facts. Keep your letter and e-mails short and to the point. When speaking with teachers, use index cards or notes to maintain focus. Be fair. When writing to a teacher or school administrator, praise any positive aspects of your child's educational experience to lend validity to your concerns about the negative aspects. Get formal confirmation receipts. Send every letter, document, and request three ways (return receipt post, e-mail, and fax). Staple the confirmation receipts to your copy of the original.

Claim your free digital copy of Creating An IEP for Your ADHD Child:
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Here's an article about overcoming discrimination of those who are different.

Hope this is helpful.

Dan

NOTE TO EDITORS: (We're distributing this article at no charge for use in your websites, newsletters, magazines, and other communications except books -- provided you run the article unedited and unchanged, including the About the Author and copyright information. Books require separate permission. If you have any questions, please contact Dan Coulter at dan@coultervideo.com or 336-608-4224.)

ARTICLE:

OVERCOMING DISCRIMINATION

by Dan Coulter

I got an arresting perspective about discrimination at my high school reunion last week. A classmate and I were sitting at a table away from the crowd, catching up on the years since graduation. He talked about raising a niece with a physical disability and said, “I thought being black was tough, but that doesn't come close to the discrimination I see against people with disabilities. Sometimes they aren't even treated like people.”

That meant a lot coming from an African American man who is old enough to remember the day Martin Luther King was assassinated.

We went to school at Central High, the oldest of the four high schools operating in Springfield, Missouri at the time. Most of the black kids in town lived in neighborhoods in our district. I heard about rumors from other high schools that Central was a rough school and we routinely had fights in the halls. When the city redrew the school district boundaries around population shifts, some parents moved rather that have their kids transfer to Central.

Which was a shame. Their kids missed out on a great experience. The rumors were nonsense, and having black and white kids attending school together was the absolute best way to combat discrimination. We got to see that people are people. I had an outstanding senior class. My classmates with all different shades of skin went on to do extraordinary things in Springfield and across the country. We have business executives, educators, doctors, lawyers, scientists, musicians, military commanders, and more. Many of my black classmates had to overcome racial discrimination to succeed.

It struck me when my classmate, who has an inspiring story of his own, made such a strong point about discrimination faced by people with disabilities.

During my life, one of the main factors I've seen in reducing racial discrimination has been proximity. Just like the parents who didn't want their kids going to Central, it's easy to make false assumptions when you don't have first hand experience. Proximity can change that. In my first jobs after college, I saw employees who were initially suspicious of black people hired into their groups gradually change their minds as they worked side by side as equals. They saw “different” people weren't that different. The real cross-over point came when blacks and whites became friends and started socializing off the job.

Proximity can be an important tool in dealing with prejudice against individuals with Asperger Syndrome and autism. Many people have the same kind of misconceptions about those on the autism spectrum that they've traditionally held against people of other races, or people who speak a different language, or people who have a physical disability. They can't understand a job well enough to do it. They won't get along with co-workers. They won't be dependable.

Maybe it's rooted in basic fears of people who are different.

But that just means we have to opportunity to help people see past those differences and false assumptions. To help them understand that getting to know people who are different can reveal their talents and abilities. To realize they can be valued friends and dependable, productive workers. I've interviewed supervisors who assessed their employees on the autism spectrum as being more dependable and productive than their typical coworkers. Some have special talents and succeed in highly skilled positions.

We need more education in schools to help students understand and accept classmates who are different. We need opportunities for all students to show their talents and abilities. We need positive, supervised ways for students with physical and mental challenges to interact with general student populations. Every time I hear a story about a student body actively supporting a student with a disability, I think: there are opportunities for those stories in every school in the country.

I was encouraged recently to see the software company SAP announce it would actively recruit people with autism to be employees. I hope we can all seek out stories about people with challenges who are succeeding and share them with news media outlets. These stories encourage more employers to hire people who don't fit typical stereotypes. And they can inspire people who are different to overcome rejection and keep applying.

I got an early lesson in dealing with discrimination when my grandfather was visiting my home. My father's father was a prejudiced old guy, and used a variation of the “N” word, calling black people, “Nuggins.” My sweet, gentle, accommodating mother heard him make that reference in front of me and my brother. She gently admonished, “We don't use that kind of language in this house, Grandpa.” Grandpa took offense, and left in a huff.

But my mother didn't back down. She knew what was right.

My high school classmate and his niece know what's right.

When we look past our differences to see what what really matters, we all do.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR – Dan Coulter is the producer of the Intricate Minds series of DVDs that help students understand classmates with Asperger Syndrome, autism, and other differences. You can find more articles and information on his website: coultervideo.com.

(If you want to add an email address to the list receiving articles from Dan Coulter, please send an email to articles@coultervideo.com with "subscribe" in the subject field. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, please send an email to articles@coultervideo.com with "unsubscribe" in the subject field. Please use this email address only to subscribe or unsubscribe, and send correspondence to dan@coultervideo.com.)

Monday, July 1, 2013

On Friday, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback signed an anti-bullying bill into law, reports Fox News. The new legislation is being named after Shawnee student Loren Wendelburg. In 2008, Wendelburg – who suffers from autism – was a 5th grader who was verbally and physically abused by a teacher at Rising Star Elementary School.

The new law strengthens Kansas’ anti-bullying statue by protecting students from being bullied by school personnel.
Earlier this year, Wendelburg testified before the Kansas state legislature saying, “I had nightmares because I worried about going back to school and the teacher harming me.” According to his parents, the teacher continued to work at the elementary school without any disciplinary action by administrators.
Wendelburg, now 15 years old, was on hand in Topeka as Gov. Brownback signed the anti-bullying bill into law.Prevention Tools
Parents who are concerned about their kid’s safety online should urge social sites to use live moderators. Los Angeles-based WebPurify offers professional content moderation services, including video and image filtering tools that block out vulgarity on the web.
In March, a pornographic video involving an infant was posted on Facebook. The content was shared tens of thousands of times and “liked” by 4,000 users.
“It’s tragic enough that videos like this exist, but exposing users to traumatic content and destroying a company’s brand is completely avoidable,” said Joshua Buxbaum, a co-founder of WebPurify. “There is no way around this; real live human beings, not software, need to be reviewing every video before it goes live.”
“Not having the proper safeguards in place . . . is extremely irresponsible. [Our] team . . . moderates content . . . [and] implemented systems to immediately alert our clients when that content contains potentially illegal or dangerous material” said Jonathan Freger, who is also one of the company’s co-founders.Oklahoma Law
On Friday, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin signed the School Safety and Bullying Prevention Act into law. The anti-bullying bill was introduced by legislators after a series of bullying incidents at schools throughout the state that were reported by local media.
The new legislation gives schools a roadmap for how to handle, report, investigate and punish bullying related incidents.

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About Me

I am the mother of three beautiful children. Two of them have graduated from high school. One of those is in college taking remedial courses because she didn't receive the free and appropriate education that she was entitled to. I am now paying college tuition for that education.
My third child is autistic and was forced to drop out of school. He was receiving no services for his autism and was no longer progressing in his classes.
He was being destroyed emotionally, psychologically, and mentally. He was forced to take medication to just attend school and that affected his liver. He is 17 years old. He has a nonverbal IQ of 123 and the interpersonal skills of a one year old.
My taxes have paid for an $8.6 million administration center, $12 million aquatic center, $250,000 for band uniforms,and a $15 million elementary school with empty classrooms. They have not paid for my children's education. My district boasts that they spend the least amount per student of any other district in the area. But, they will hold up their facilities to those in the much richer county to the west. We also have the second highest tax levy in Jackson County.